UAE A320 recall update: Safe to fly again, says GCAA

Dubai: Full compliance with Airbus's global safety directive has been confirmed by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for more than 100 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family of jets.

The jets registered with UAE airlines, including the A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, have all been cleared for safety, country's civil aviation regulator confirmed on Sunday.

Operators including UAE's national carrier Etihad Airways and Sharjah-based airline Air Arabia completed required inspections and updates swiftly, allowing normal operations to resume.

"All required measures had been fully implemented in accordance with the directive," the GCAA said in a statement.

"Immediately upon receiving the Airbus Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) and the associated Airworthiness Directive, the GCAA performed a detailed review and regulatory oversight across all affected operators in the UAE," it said.

"Based on the submitted reports and compliance records, the Authority confirmed that all required measures had been fully implemented in accordance with the directive," the GCAA explained.

Based on these measures, the GCAA "confirmed that full compliance had been achieved and that all affected operators were able to continue safe flight operations."

French plane maker Airbus said on Friday it was ordering immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely used A320 family of jets in a sweeping recall affecting more than half the global fleet.

The setback appears to be among the largest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history and comes weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered model.

At the time Airbus issued its bulletin to the plane's more than 350 operators, some 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air.

Airbus said it discovered the issue after an investigation into an incident in which a plane flying between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude in October.

The JetBlue Airways flight made an emergency landing in Florida after at least 15 people were injured.

After a brief disruption, UAE airlines operating the A320 jets, including Air Arabia and Etihad Airways, resumed operations rather quickly.

Air Arabia confirmed that it has successfully carried out the software and technical updates mandated by Airbus for the A320 aircraft type, completing the process across all affected aircraft in its fleet.

The airline said the installation was finalised quickly and with minimal disruption, despite the update coinciding with one of the busiest travel periods of the year. It credited its operational teams for ensuring the process was completed efficiently.

Regional carriers Qatar Airways and flynas also announced it has completed all required updates on its A320 fleet.

Saudi carrier flynas has announced that it has completed all required updates on the 20 aircraft in its A320 fleet that fell under the latest technical procedure. The airline said the work was carried out in record time, with no impact on its operations.